Discovery
Camp Discovery is ideal for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder who will enjoy a summer camp experience focused on support and small group activities. Campers should be able to positively interact and safely participate within small groups, as this camp provides 1:4 support.
Camp Discovery is held at True Friends Camp Courage in Maple Lake, MN. Campers will stay in cabins according to age, gender, and interests. All cabins can be used year-round with air conditioning, heating, and an indoor fireplace. All bathrooms in cabins have door locks to ensure privacy.
Camp activities include swimming (both in the lake and indoor swimming pool), tubing, fishing, archery, mini golf, a high ropes course and zip line, kayaking, canoeing, arts and crafts, nature experiences, recreational games, live action role-playing games, and more. Camp Discovery also includes special evening activities. Campers participate in small group discussions and activities that focus on special interests and making a connection with others.
Camp Discovery Directors
Jill Pring, MEd, aka “Big Jill,” has worked at Camp Discovery since 2007. Nothing gets her more excited than the camp lottery and seeing the list of campers for the first time. Jill’s favorite camp activities include tubing, spending time at the waterfront, and drinking sleepy time tea. You will rarely see Jill without her camera, as she loves catching all those amazing camp moments and sharing them with families. When not at camp, Jill is an ASD & Behavior Consultant for Northern Lights Special Education Cooperative in Esko, MN.
Mike Cohen, MS, is an Autism and Behavior Consultant for the Northern Lights Special Education Cooperative. He has worked in school settings since 2006 as a paraprofessional, second grade teacher, special education teacher, and consultant. He began working at camp with Big Jill in 2017 and believes Discovery is the absolute best place for our campers to build positive relationships with others.
Katie Marciniak has worked as a Speech Language Pathologist for over 13 years. For the last five years she has worked with AuSM at Camp Discovery, first as a Cabin Support Staff, then as a Co-Director. While she can’t hold a flame to “Big Jill,” that’s precisely what keeps her returning: the people. “To go from a school setting, where outcomes drive the work, to camp, where fun and inclusion make it hardly feel like work, is such an amazing experience,” said Katie. “I think I can speak for all Camp Discovery Directors when I say that what we get from working at camp generally outweighs what we give.”
Location
True Friends Camp Courage
8046 83rd St NW
Maple Lake, MN 55358
Cost
The cost of one camp session (five days) will be $1,999 in 2025. Applications open January 1, 2025.
Sessions
Discovery #1 (ages 18+) – June 29 – July 3, 2025
Discovery #2 (ages 10-17) – July 6 – 10, 2025